Well, we are so happy to be back in Bugtussle! We had a fabulous vacation at the beach, packed full of fun in the sun, but there's no place like home. Jesse and Hannah took care of everything at the farm splendidly and we're so proud of all of our critters for being on their best behavior while we were away, and not giving Jesse and Hannah any grief - like last year!

It's very evident that the season has shifted to autumn. Having been away these past ten days, it is especially apparent - with so many leaves on the ground and so much more light filtering through the canopy of the trees. And it's so much cooler here than it was at the beach! This is just such a lovely time of year.

And now that we're back, we are going to get busy harvesting crops that need to be brought in before frost (sweet potatoes, ginger, acorn squash) which is surely just around the corner! And it's time to get the garlic planted and to also put many garden beds to rest for the cold season. Another busy growing season is coming to a close...

Well, we haven't heard a peep from the Smiths, so they must be having a blast on vacation! So far, (and I am KNOCKING ON WOOD as I write this) everything has gone very smoothly. We are hoping for so repeats of the last time we watched the farm - when the pigs escaped into the woods and complete chaos ensued, ending with a ram smashing his head against an iron gate and cracking his horn off. Oh my.

This year, all has been quiet and peaceful, if not a bit busy. We have filled the days mostly with animal chores - moving the sheep and cattle in Eric's rotational grazing program, bottle feeding a calf, giving Ira's rather large avian menagerie food and water, collecting eggs - not to mention our own homestead critters! Still, we have had time to do some garden work as well, including hand-weeding the fall garden - and let me tell you, it is looking DELICIOUS.

Like always, things aren't the same without Eric, Cher, Ira, Opal, and Livi on the farm. True, we do love the normally absent QUIET, but we are looking forward to the family's return, screaming children and all.

It was a very busy week. There was so much to do, especially since the Smith Family will be heading south for the beach following market today! Hooray! We are all very excited and looking forward to a little fun in the sun. Jesse and Hannah will be navigating "Ship Bugtussle" for the next 10 days. Eric and I did our best to leave the farm in a state that won't make all of the extra chores overwhelming for them... So that maybe they can even have some peace and quiet on the farm without our wild family! Jesse and Hannah are pros at this point anyways, and we feel so blessed to have them here and confident all will be fine and dandy when we return home!

So all of this busy-ness in the garden this week came from setting most of the remaining transplants, weeding, harvesting the pumpkins and spaghetti squash, sowing spinach, and just generally getting everything in a state of order before our departure. So Jesse and Hannah will be on their own at market next week, and we'll see you in two weeks!

Sunday, September 8, 2013

It was another glorious week on the farm. The weather was pleasant and the days carried with them the dry, crispness of autumn. Early in the week, we had a few small rainshowers. They were very isolated little pockets of rain that we were thrilled to receive. Even though not much rain fell, it was still adequate for germinating lots of the seeds that were sown last week. Hooray!

The big project of the week was harvesting the butternut squash. Now we have it stored in the barn's loft for curing. The crop looks so much better than last year's, so our mouths are watering for butternut squash pie. And squash soup. And squash porridge... Divine. Watch the farm's blog (www.bugtusslefarm.com) for more about the squash harvest accompanied by some photos.

And finally, I wanted to put out the word that we are now signing folks up for THIS SEASON'S FALL SHARE. Most of you current shareholders are already aware of this, but those of you who haven't been part of the summer season this year might like the details, as we should have a little extra space in the CSA. The fall season will begin Saturday, October 5th and last eight weeks until Saturday, November 23. The price will be $175 for a small share; $275 for a medium share; and $375 for the family share. The fall garden is looking great. In fact, we are beginning to harvest from it already! Last week's arugula and this week's lettuce and kale were harvested from the very eager fall crops. (We are so happy to have more greens entering our meals once again!) Also in the fall share you can look forward to sweet potatoes, winter squash, a wide variety of greens (lettuce, kale, arugula, chinese cabbage, spinach, swiss chard, etc.), carrots, hakurei salad turnips, cauliflower, celery, and a continuation of the summer crops up until frost. We are very hopeful about a great fall season. Let us know if you are interested!